Say It Again
by JPx3LE
Summary: Lily overhears an argument James and Sirius are having on her way to visit Hagrid. James also goes to visit Hagrid and the two Heads cross paths. A little oneshot on Lily and James getting together.


**A/N: Hi I completely edited this. So it's a sort of re-write. Basically just a oneshot about James and Lily (my favorite couple) getting together in the beginning of 7th Year. I obvs. don't own anything. Enjoy!**

"Ugh," James threw up his hands in exasperation. His best friend just rolled his gray eyes. "I can't explain it to you," he said.

Sirius Black shook his head. "No, you explained it fine. I just can't understand it. You don't need her. All she does is be mean to you, James, and I'm sick of her getting away with treating you the way she does, while you sulk and mope around!" His voice had grown steadily louder as he went on. Sirius, also, had called him 'James' instead of 'Prongs'; he was genuinely upset.

James rubbed his eyes from under his glasses. "Look, Padfoot," he said in a quiet, tired voice, "I appreciate your concern, I do. But, like you said, you don't understand…" James Potter's mind, as it always did, strayed to Lily Evans. He thought of the way her emerald eyes lit up when she saw him; he had known her long enough to know for a fact that her eyes never glittered like that when she looked at anyone else, only him. He knew, just knew there was a deeper feeling than just dislike for him. She had just pretended it was hate. Of course, they were now on better terms, having been named Head Boy and Head Girl, but that didn't mean they didn't have their arguments. He wouldn't be James Potter if he didn't get Lily Evans "riled-up", as Remus put it.

James could handle the way Lily treated him because he could just _tell_ what she was saying and what she was feeling were two different things. He saw it, he wasn't blind. Well, maybe without his glasses. But what everyone mistook as a look of hatred, James, having seen her glare at the Slytherins she hated as much as he did or even Voldemort's 'you-know-who' in the Prophet, knew better. She looked at him a completely different way.

For example, yesterday he was late for Transfiguration and when he opened the door to the classroom nobody bothered to even look up, except for her.

**Yesterday, In Transfiguration~ **

James took a deep breath to ready himself for Professor McGonagall's wrath. He could try to charm his way out of it, after all he was her favorite student, but you never knew what kind of mood she'd be in. He put his hand on the handle and pushed the door open..

Oh bugger, we had an exam today.

Everyone, including Professor McGonagall, had their heads bent over their desks, writing. The moment the door squeaked, Lily Evans' head snapped in his direction as if shed been expecting it all class. James' breath hitched in his throat the moment their eyes met. She had a hard, blazing look about her and James began to smirk; her cheeks were tainted in a soft, embarrassed blush. Lily hastily shifted her attention back to her paper. James' smirk grew wider.

"I wouldn't be smirking if I were you, Potter. You're late on an exam day," McGonagall was saying from her desk. He looked to her and realized she had lifted her head from her desk.

"Sorry Professor, I stayed up late trying to devise new Quidditch tactics so I over slept...you know how it is, right?" He told her casually. Of course, he hadn't been doing that at all, but McGonagall has a soft spot from Quidditch and he needed a reason as to why he overslept.

As he took his seat next to Sirius who grinned at him, in front of Peter and Remus who waved at him and behind Lily, whose figure tensed up the moment he sat down. He noticed she had stopped writing and he could hear her breathing from his seat.

McGonagall smiled at him, "How's Friday at 8?"

James sighed dramatically and, though he never took his eyes off the back of Lily's head, said to his Professor, "you know how I love my detentions, Professor."

He never failed to notice that Lily didn't relax the whole rest of the class.

**Now~**

"I won't give up on her…" James was saying to Sirius now. He had been making progress with her, he couldn't stop now.

Sirius glared slightly before he sighed in defeat. "Fine," he said before he went to the dormitory, taking the steps two at a time.

Plopping himself on the floor in front of the fire, James did nothing but stare at the flames licking the wood serenely, in what he thought was solitude. He was unaware of the person who had heard the whole disagreement.

------------

Climbing out the portrait hole, Lily Evans' head was buzzing about the conversation she had just overheard. She hadn't exactly planned to listen in on them; it just sort of worked out that way. When Lily had decided to go visit Hagrid (Although it was almost 11pm, Lily was Head Girl and had privileges) and made her way toward the portrait, she heard two deep and annoyed voice descending the boys staircase. Recognizing one of the voices' owners as Sirius, she pressed against the wall, hoping he wouldn't see her. She desperately wanted to avoid an argument, but he had, it appeared, already been engaged in one. Finally realizing the second voice was James, she even more desperately wanted to stay hidden after what had happened yesterday during Transfiguration. She felt her face grow hot at the mere memory. She had been guilty of waiting, glancing at the door every five seconds, for James to come through. And once he had, she was happy he was there...happy! and she knew he could tell the moment their eyes had locked.

Their conversation caught her attention; how often did James and Sirius, closer than bothers, fight?

Now, on her way down to the Entrance Hall, she mulled the occurrences over. The fight had been about **her**. She remembered the pang she felt in her stomach when Sirius had tried to convince James that she wasn't worth the time. Then, she remembered how James said, full of confidence, how he wouldn't give up on her.

Why she should care what either of them thought, she never got to contemplate for she had arrived at Hagrid's hut already. She knocked lightly, "Hagrid? It's Lily," she called through the door so as not to startle him.

The door swung open and Lily smiled at the familiar large, hairy man in front of her. Hagrid beamed at her, "Lily! I jus' pu' on some tea, come in, come in!"

Lily settled herself in one of the large wooden chairs at his table, across from him. He poured them both some boiling water and placed tea bags in the cups. "How've you been, Hagrid? I'm sorry I haven't visited earlier," she said to him.

He waved her off, still smiling, "You're Head Girl now, aren't yeh? Been busy, I imagine. Don't worry 'bout me, I've been all right. It's good ter see yeh, though, Lily."

She smiled at him. She was always relaxed with Hagrid, "It's good to see you too." Then, she frowned, "Where's Fang?"

Hagrid pointed a large finger out the window, "Lying outside somewhere, I expect." He remained looking out the dark glass. "Who's that? Ah, James seems to 'ave the same idea as you, look."

Sure enough, she saw his broad figure strolling along the path to Hagrid's hut. Lily's heart rate sped up. "I don't wanna be here when James is here," she stood up and rushed to a back room. After yesterday, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to be in the same vicinity as James without turning as red as a tomato.

Hagrid looked utterly confused and she didn't blame him; when had she start calling him James on a regular basis? There was a knock on the door for a second time that night. Peeping her head around the doorframe from Hagrid's bedroom (the back room she had fled to), she watched as he opened the door.

James stood in front of Hagrid who shouted, "James!" and enveloped him in a hug that would've crunched all of Lily's bones. James, however, didn't flinch, merely patting Hagrid on the back twice very firmly. When they pulled away, Lily saw a grin had spread across his face, further lightening his hazel eyes. Though she wouldn't admit it, she couldn't help but notice that James was very, very good looking, most especially at this moment. _Stop that, Lily. These kind of thoughts are the ones that got you into trouble yesterday._

She shrunk back slightly when he entered properly; dropping into what had been Lily's seat.

"Expecting me?" James asked, indicating to Lily's teacup.

Hagrid stole a glance toward Lily, who pulled away completely, pressing her back to the wall. She heard Hagrid chuckle lightly (as lightly as a man his size could), "I was hopin' you'd be here…" Hagrid played along.

Lily peaked back to James and Hagrid. As Hagrid started asking James about the Quidditch tryouts he would be conducting as Captain, she took that time to observe James. His hazel eyes sparkling at the mention of his favorite sport, his full lips opening and closing, forming words she was not listening to, and his muscles tightening and relaxing under his scarlet t-shirt with 'Gryffindor Quidditch' written across it in gold. Either she didn't notice how attractive James really was or she simply ignored it... but it was slapping her in the face now, causing her to lick her lips subconsciously as she studied him. Then, quickly, his hazel eyes wandered and locked onto, what she thought, looked like her!

With a rush of panic, she pushed back against the wall though more violently this time. That was a mistake. She heard a large crash and she realized it was her that had caused the noise. When she moved out of James' sight, she had knocked into Hagrid's bookcase, (though it didn't hold any books on it) causing it to topple over with a bang. Silently praying Hagrid would make an excuse for her, she picked it up carefully. When she had finally got it standing and turned herself back around, she found herself nose to chest with a raven haired, hazel-eyed boy. The same boy that had promoted her to not even realize she had knocked an entire bookcase over. He was, of course, smirking at her.

"Come here often?" He asked softly, though it sounded very clear to her. The horrible pick-up line somehow sounded sensual out of his mouth. A combination of that and his hot breath on her face caused her to shiver slightly.

Hagrid smiled at the pair and quickly muttered something about going to see Fang, outside, leaving them alone. "You'd think adults wouldn't want to leave teenagers alone, together," Lily mumbled to herself.

"What would said teenagers be doing that they shouldn't have been left alone? Not being bad, are they?" Asked James, his smirk, if possible, growing even larger, enhanced by the mischievous glint in his eyes. Lily was beginning to notice that James' emotions could usually be read in his eyes…

She felt the heat rise in her face and neck and knew from James' expressions he could see it. How did he always manage to _do_ that? She always wound up blushing in his presence, a place where she most desperately didn't want to be at the moment. Lily was suddenly aware of their proximity but didn't pull away. She crossed her arms, passing off her feelings towards him as anger, something she had been doing for the passed month, even though her feeling seemed to be something entirely different. Beginning to feel slightly stupid at not coming up with anything to say, she just cleared her throat impatiently to insinuate he should say something, or she was leaving. That seemed convincing.

James raised his arm as if he was going to ruffle his already unruly hair, then, seeming to think better of it, scratched the back of his neck. Lily had always thought that was done in an awkward situation but she didn't feel awkward at all right now. She actually was beginning to feel quite comfortable exactly where she was.

"Lily…?" he said softly, an almost whisper. His quick change in demeanor startled Lily. It had been the first time she heard him speak her name and found herself hoping it wouldn't be the last. She raised her eyes to look into his hazel ones. She had never seen the gold flecks she was now gazing at. "I-,"

But she never found out what he was going to say for a loud creaking noise cut him off -the bookcase was falling again. Only, this time, she was underneath it. Before she could register what was happening, the bookcase was on the floor and James' arms were clutching her waist, holding her against him and out of harm's way. Then, all too soon, he let go of her as if touching her burned him. She sent him a questioning glance that he did not catch for he wasn't looking at her but at the floor, muttering a brief , "Sorry…" He was seemed to be beating himself up mentally for something he did and shouldn't have.

Lily tugged on the bottom of her shirt but did not break her gaze; "No…" she said slowly but not softly, "no, thank you."

Meeting her emerald gaze, he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, "No problem," and then, just like that, he spun on his heal and left.

Why was he leaving? He was completely normal before...Had she done something wrong? Usually James would've killed to be holding Lily like that but he had just let her go as if he didn't want anything to do with touching her. She shouldn't have been complaining, though. A voice that sounded suspiciously like Sirius Black floated into her mind. _This is what you wanted. You wanted him to finally leave you alone. He let you go because he didn't want to further irritate you. This is what you wanted. _Right, what she want_ed. _But the struggle she had been having for the past month, leading her to this moment showed her that wasn't what she wanted any longer. She had been so stupid.

Lily quickly snapped out of her thoughts. Running after him, and stumbling slightly due to her speed, she opened Hagrid's door to find James already walking up the path, back to Hogwarts. Standing at the top of Hagrid's stairs, she called out to him, "James!"

He turned slowly, hesitantly as if he hadn't heard her properly. "Lily?" Said James quietly though she, again, heard him perfectly.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, not entirely sure what she was doing, "I'm sorry!" She yelled, throwing her hands up in the air slightly. Lily was tired of resisting him anymore.

In what seemed like one motion, he was in front of her. She, being significantly shorter than him, was eye level to him on the 3rd step, he on the ground. His eyes were sparkling again. "Say it again," he whispered.

Lily took a deep breath, "I'm sorry for the way I-,"

James shook his head and brought a hand up to her cheek, his thumb slightly rubbing along her bottom lip, giving Lily chills down her spine. "No," he said with a soft laugh, still whispering. A grin spread across his face. "The part where you said my name."

She, too, laughed as he gently took hold of both her wrists, placing her arms around his neck. Their foreheads rested against each other's and Lily found herself grinning back at him. "James…"

_**Fin**_

**A/N: Please please please review, now matter what you thought, I wanna hear anything and everything. Thank you =)**


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